Kyon -- Big Damn Hero: Relationship Building II

Disclaimer: The novel series of Suzumiya Haruhi that began with 'The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi' is the creation of Nagaru Tanigawa. No disrespect is intended by the posting of this fanfiction, as I do not own the characters or settings involved. I'm merely dabbling with another set of paints. TVtropes(dot)org is part of the public domain, I think? I actually couldn't find a 'legal' section on the site! Additional characters are borrowed from Higurashi, which is the creation of Ryukishi07.

Warning: This chapter treats Daybreak (the OVA, not the game) as canon. Also, there maaaaay be a Nekogorashi reference. Or two. So, yeah....

"Chapter One: Listen"

"...but just in case you do need a reminder: You're reading this book because you're interested in the advice that other people can give! Written suggestions are great, but the most applicable wisdom you're probably going to get is going to be from the people around you; the ones who've done and seen it before! So, when they speak, listen."

"Methods of Victory" -- T.H.

After seeing Kyon off with his friend, even though she wasn't certain what they were up to, Rika turned her attention to the two other young girls who were his friends. Mikuru was the time traveler, if she remembered his story correctly, though she wouldn't have ever guessed that at a glance. She had a fashionable green dress on, and didn't seem to have anything more futuristic than a sleek, classy wristwatch.

Matsuri had already been wary of Haruhi, but took an instant dislike of Mikuru, grumbling in jealousy at the older girl's natural assets. That was getting out of hand, Rika realized, frowning at her daughter. "You know, Matsuri-chan," she said to the girl, "it's hardly fair for you to really think that Kyon should belong to you, when you're lucky to see him three times a year."

In response, the girl pouted at her mother. Rika's heart wasn't stone, but that look had never worked on her -- though it almost always worked on Keiichi. It was a small miracle that Kyon himself seemed immune, but she chalked that up to the boy's sister unintentionally overusing such things.

"Kyon-nii-sama is mine, nih-pah~!" the girl muttered stubbornly. "You big-chested sirens aren't taking him away from me!"

Mikuru blushed very faintly and giggled. "That's so cute," she gushed, patting Matsuri on on the head. "Aww, Matsuri-chan, you're adorable!"

Shutaro squinted at the girls, considering things lengthily before finally judging, very solemnly, "Icky."

Naota rolled his eyes and mumbled something beneath his breath about Kyon being too lucky for his own good.

Without even glancing at him, Makoto smacked the back of his head firmly, noting, "Pervert."

Mikuru's blush faded as she looked at Naota and Makoto, giggling. "Aww, that's cute, too!"

"That's enough of that," Rika warned. "Your aunt Satoko is going to be by in a bit with Aiko-chan, so no misbehaving. If you ask very nicely, she might bake cookies."

"Auntie Satoko's cookies aren't as good as Auntie Rena's," Shutaro said knowledgeably.

Shutaro obligingly found the deck of cards that they were playing with that morning, and the children gathered around the table. "Ah, children," Rika sighed, smiling.

"Hello!" Satoko called from the doorway, looking at Shutaro shrewdly. "So, my baking isn't very good, is it?"

The little boy wordlessly crawled beneath the table after giving his aunt a fearful glance.

"Humph," the blonde woman snorted. Her daughter cocked her head to one side and looked at Mikuru curiously, but then shrugged and skipped to the table. "Oh, no one said that, I see.... Well, no cookies for those who aren't here!"

"Family secret, though evidently not a good one," Satoko said. She shook her head, giving Mikuru an appraising look. "Hmm, you must be another of Kyon's friends?"

After introductions were finished, Mikuru offered to bake the cookies, and Satoko agreed. Turning to Haruhi, Rika asked, "Suzumiya-chan, would you mind accompanying me to the shrine for a bit? There's ... something I had wanted to talk to you about."

Rika led the way down the path, noting that Haruhi remembered the ceremonial observance as well, bowing to the torii. At this hour, the shrine was deserted, and neither of them spoke until Rika removed the heavy key to the saiguden from her pocket. "I...is this the sealed storehouse?" Haruhi asked curiously.

"It is," Rika acknowledged, unlocking the door and gesturing Haruhi in. At this hour, they needed the battery powered lantern to see, and Rika hung it on a hook by the door. At night, without the moon to provide softer illumination, the sharp edges of the ritual implements cast ominous jagged shadows everywhere, and the statue of Oyashiro at the dark end of the room seemed to glare down at them, the upper reaches of its face shrouded in darkness.

"You're not planning on ritually sacrificing me or anything, are you?" Haruhi asked, half-joking. "Kyon told me a little bit about the legends of Oyashiro-sama."

Rika beamed her a bright smile. "Now, now, not in this day and age," she assured the girl. "But, you're quite fond of Kyon, aren't you?"

Haruhi made a soft choking noise and retreated a half-step, looking trapped between Rika and the statue of Oyashiro. "I ... don't mean to be so obvious about it," she managed, looking very uncomfortable.

"I know. I can tell these things, and not just with a woman's intuition," she replied, closing the door. Hanyuu nodded at Rika, then drifted through the walls to scout the area and make sure no one eavesdropped. "I apologize for the setting, but as I've learned with Kyon, it does help underscore the importance of things."

There was a bench in the room on one side, and Rika removed a rag from her pocket, dusting it off and taking a seat, patting the space near her. Haruhi looked at it warily and crossed her arms over her chest, not moving. "I've learned quite a bit about these sorts of things," she told the younger girl.

"I doubt it's as much as you think," Haruhi muttered skeptically. "Kyon's an idiot not to see it, but are you oblivious to the fact that your husband is, well...."

"Naturally, no," Rika said, shaking her head. "We all agreed to work things out in such a way. Well, we didn't exactly explain things to Keiichi right away, which may not have been the best idea, but never mind that. The point is that it is a cooperative effort on all our parts, ultimately."

Haruhi blinked several times, before her expression shifted to confusion. "...what?"

Rika giggled. "It's not easy," she warned, "but quite obviously it can be done. And I can tell that it's both something you want, and something that terrifies you."

Taking a deep breath, Rika gestured to the bench at her side again. "This is something of a long story," she warned. "But don't you think you might want to listen?"

"I.... I want everyone to be happy," Haruhi said, frowning. "But that.... That's.... I mean, seriously!"

"You've seen all of my closest friends," Rika countered. "With an outsider's perspective, it probably seems quite obvious to you. But tell me -- for even one heartbeat, when you saw our children and went to our homes, did any one of us look unhappy?"

Haruhi worked her jaw silently for a moment before straightening herself up and sitting at Rika's side stiffly. "I'm listening," she allowed.

Eventually, after what Kyon guessed had to be at least ten minutes, Mion and Keiichi stopped laughing long enough to sit back up, though they had to hang on to each other to keep from falling back down, and Mion, at least, still shook with mirth at the situation.

"Your hair is fine, dear," Mion said, snickering. "And it's my favorite color, too-- But, my nephew Kyon ... buwahaha!"

Clearing his throat, Kyon gestured across the table. "Tsuruya-kun, this is my aunt Mion, and my uncle Keiichi," he explained. "Um.... Auntie, Uncle, this is my oyabun, Tsuruya Haruka-san."

"Ah!" Tsuruya said, finally getting it, and instantly reigniting the laughter of previously, clutching onto Kyon for support. "Oh! Hahaha, Kyon-kun, haha, your aunt, your uncle, buwahaha!"

After a few minutes of her laughing so hard tears streamed from her eyes, Kyon had to admit, it was kind of funny. That'd show him for dismissing his own father's casual remark about Keiichi working for a yakuza family, at the very least. "Ah, okay," she managed, giggling again. "Aha, so, Kyon's aunt and uncle makes a very cute couple!"

Keiichi and Mion instantly let go of one-another as though stung, Mion's amusement vanishing as she coughed politely and looked away. Keiichi likewise looked away and scratched the back of his head.

"Er, actually, he's married to my aunt Rika," Kyon offered, glancing at Tsuruya.

"W...well, we should focus on business, shouldn't we?" Mion said quickly, giving a forced, nervous laugh.

"R...right!" Keiichi agreed, nodding vigorously as he began to leaf through a small stack of papers too quickly to possibly read them.

"Formality aside," Mion added. "So, ah, Tsuruya-san, you wanted to propose an alliance between our families?"

"Yep!" Tsuruya agreed, giggling. "I didn't knows you were related to Kyon-kun, though!"

"Well ... I'll admit, I was going to say 'no'," Mion chuckled. "Joining with the Yamaguchi-gumi is quite a step. But since you've already got my cute nephew working for you, it's impossible for me to refuse!"

"Hey," Mion gasped, her eyes widening. "As long as we're in the world of unlikely coincidences ... are you the same heiress who had to distinguish herself in that fight against the Sumiyoshi-rengo?"

"But," Keiichi realized, sitting up straight, "that would mean that you were the one that beat up twenty of their men?"

"Yeah," Tsuruya agreed with Kyon, "he's never fought more than twelve single-handedly. Nagato-chi and I were with him against the big crowd!"

"One more question, then," Keiichi said warily, "and you must promise me never to discuss this with your aunt Rena unless either of us or Rika-chan are with you."

"Um ... yes," he admitted. "Why? Is he--" He paled with realization. "Oh, crap, I didn't beat up one of Auntie Rena's relatives, did I!?"

Mion snorted, trying to stifle her laughter. "Ah ... not really," she answered. "Just ... someone I've heard of."

"Broke his nose good," Tsuruya added. "Wasn't that Kyon-kun's first interrogation, too?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "Um, while we're on the subject of promises, and it may be a bit late for this one ... but ... please, don't let Mom find out about this? I think she'd kill me."

"You think I want her to know!?" Keiichi asked incredulously. "I mean, she already grumbles because she thinks I'm affiliated with-- Yeah, right, you'd only be half as dead as I would be if she found this out!" Mimicking a conversation between himself and Kyon's mother, Keiichi continued, "'Oh, how was Kyon while you watched over him, Onii-san?' 'Fine, Imouto; we did the usual stuff. Went to the water park, did some fishing, brokered a deal between our respective crime syndicates. You know, nothing out of the ordinary.'"

Well, Kyon thought, finally finding something to laugh about, at least there was that. While he strongly doubted anyone planned for the meeting to work out that way, he ultimately had nothing to complain about. So, why couldn't he shake that feeling of impending doom?

"First of all," the woman explained, her eyes distant, evidently not seeing the creepy ritual implements of torture on the wall opposite the bench, "you must understand that it doesn't work just by devising a logical system of 'sharing' or 'lending' Keiichi around. The way that it works, for us, anyway, is that we all care for one another. I mean that. Don't take it the wrong way, but the bond between myself, Satoko-chan, Mion-chan, and Rena-chan.... If we didn't love one another, it never would have worked out the way that it did. It is not that we all care about Kei-chan, and simply tolerate one-another."

"But," Haruhi protested, despite how eagerly she wanted to believe that Rika had a valid solution, "only you married Keiichi."

"That has a lot to do with how badly I handled things at the start," she allowed. "At the time ... long ago ... Mion was the most obviously in love with Keiichi. I myself didn't realize how badly I was in love with him, until Rena swallowed that stupid magatama."

Haruhi had no idea what a mystical object like a magatama, the traditional teardrop shaped icon of a spirit, had to do with anything.

"Ah, it was ... not quite cursed," Rika explained, seeing Haruhi's confusion. "It fell from the heavens. There were two pieces; one black, and one white. If two people were to hold them, they would fall in love. Rena swallowed one, and until Keiichi was holding the other, and Rena confessed how much she cared for him...." She grimaced. "It was an ugly revelation, to me; I was angry at one of my best friends. Despite the fact that I should have been much more experienced in these things, I overcame my own denial."

She shifted in her seat slightly and continued, "I didn't do anything, though ... what could I? Keiichi was nearly sixteen years old, and I was just eleven. A year later I had begun to grow, but Mion achieved peace with herself and started to earnestly pursue him. And ... I almost ruined things for her." The woman looked genuinely ashamed, and Haruhi tried to imagine what it could have been like. "For all of us."

"Wouldn't that mean," she asked hesitantly, "that ... you weren't even as old as Matsuri-chan...?"

"I know everyone says such things, but trust me," Rika said, shaking her head, "I was significantly wiser than my physical age. If you ask Kyon very nicely, he can explain that it is true, in the same way that you have ... such interesting friends."

Haruhi flinched. Obviously, Kyon had to have told her for the woman to know those things. She hoped his trust in her was well placed, but also realized that Rika hadn't explained her situation with her husband and 'friends' to Kyon. Part of her wanted to protest that it wasn't fair, but she quelled it, realizing she was being treated to secrets he hadn't been. "I'll believe you," she decided.

"I'll spare you the details," Rika added. "Suffice to say that through carefully placed words and judiciously ignoring sound advice, I ... convinced Keiichi to spend more time with me. It was ... extremely selfish. And I cost almost all of us happiness. It was only on the verge of utter ruin, with the help of my friends, that I realized what a mistake I was making.

"And it's the grandest fortune that things hadn't gotten to the point where the damage could never be undone. As much as I loved Keiichi, and as ... careless as I was with it, the bond that I shared with the others was still there. I didn't have to be selfish. I was motivated to try and steal him for myself because I was afraid of being alone.

"It ... actually ... was Rena's idea, and Satoko's.... They were clearer-headed about the entire thing, and that's part of why I love them as much as I do. I wish I could say that I had been clever and thoughtful, and undone the damage myself, but it was all set in motion by the two of them. Because the truth was ... if I did take Keiichi for my own, and only my own, I would be even more alone. I would have him, at the cost of my friends."

She gave Haruhi a stern look. The girl guiltily recalled the words she had forced from Kyon, the day he'd traveled back in time to reassure her that he did care about her.

"At one time, I thought it would be worth it," Rika added, her eyes shining. "Keiichi and I, together, would be enough, without anyone else. But ... that would throw away everything that my friends and I had shared; everything we had endured!" She laughed, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "And then I was stupid about it again, and tried to give up on him for Mion, who I had practically crushed for my own benefit....

"So, yes, Keiichi is married to me. But that's only because I was selfish, and to the other villagers, that's how things had seemed before reason. Reason, of course, in the form of the truest friends I will ever have. I still feel guilty about what I've done, but I can't let that influence me too much, either. Instead, we have to rely on our bond of love and trust."

"Even though.... Well, couldn't you have just acted as though you and Keiichi were drifting apart and avoided that?" Haruhi wondered aloud. "I mean ... if this started when you were just twelve ... you couldn't have married before sixteen, even back then, right? Surely it didn't drag on for four years!"

"No, it didn't," Rika admitted. "But by the time we were old enough, Satoko and Rena had already established a very solid, logical plan that fit with appearances in the minds of others. I don't doubt that some in the village suspect, but we hardly care about that, anymore. If we had it to do over again, I would probably want Keiichi married to Mion." She shrugged, giving a faint smile. "But, perhaps that is guilt speaking.

"At any rate, I can see that in many ways, Kyon is in a similar position to Keiichi at that time. And you are in a position not too different from my own. The answer is simple to see, even if it may not be easy to follow."

"H...how can you be happy with that?" Haruhi wondered aloud. "I mean ... your husband ... with other women...."

"With my closest friends," Rika corrected. "That's the difficulty. You must put aside your self-doubt and overcome your worry that if you did not have him alone, he would not choose you. It's not simple. I imagine if it were easy, then it would happen more often. So ... rely on your friends. Allow them to rely on you. That may mean growing to the point where you can encourage him to spend time with someone else, and learn to take joy in their happiness.

"That's how it is for me. I know that Keiichi loves me, as he loves the others. But I can tell him with confidence, 'Rena-chan is bothered by something. Go to her, and make her smile', and a part of myself mourns that he leaves me, and fears that he won't come back. But the greater part of me rejoices in the fact that two of the people I love are very happy. And then he comes back to me, or I rejoice that he's making Satoko-chan, or Mion-chan happy. And fortunately, there are enough of us so that if he is not with me, I can share my happiness with the others.

"So, I'm not alone even when he's not with me. Anyway, I can already tell you were thinking of finding some way to share him," she concluded, turning her gaze to Haruhi and quirking one eyebrow higher.

"Y...yeah," Haruhi allowed, feeling somehow very small before the woman. "I was.... I wanted.... I was thinking that maybe ... as long as I was the most important to him...." She trailed off, unable to go further. She had thought about it, and wanted it, but her ability to commit to that.... "You say self-doubt?" she managed, instead. Those words were hitting uncomfortably close to home, but avoiding them wouldn't help; she'd always faced her problems head-on before, so why stop now?

Rika nodded. "I felt, personally, that of all the girls in Keiichi's life, I was the one with the least to offer him," she explained. Then she laughed, shaking her head. "Of course, that was remarkably silly of me. It's about caring for each other, not simply what a person can offer in terms of ... the wealth of her family, her skill in the kitchen, or the size of her chest."

Haruhi felt her face redden. "Lately," she mumbled, "I haven't really been myself...." She hated to admit it, but the woman was right. She didn't usually have that much confidence, but until recently, she'd at least been able to act like she did. "I've been really ... troubled by this whole thing."

"Like I said, if it were easy, I expect it would happen more often," Rika reiterated, putting one arm about her shoulders. "So, tell Auntie Rika what's troubling you?"

It took her a minute to put her concerns into words. "I ... really like Kyon," she managed, her face still warm. "And he said that he likes me. But it's really hard to be confident when he just seems to understand what's going on around us so much better, and to have ... better ties with the other girls than with me. How do I overcome that?"

Rika tapped her lower lip with one fingertip, staring into the shadowed corners of the room. "That happened to me, too," she said quietly. "That's why I became jealous ... which was not for the best. So, my advice for you on that count is to not become jealous. Hmm, that sounds too simple, I suppose. Well, it's something of a guess, but in your instance, are you uncertain because of the situation ahead of you?"

"I think I'd be nervous even if it was just him and myself," she admitted. "I mean ... I'm afraid of things going wrong, or ... really annoying him, or...." She trailed off with a shrug. "So, what should I do?"

"You should focus on strengthening your bonds with him and your other friends," Rika said, giving her a smile. "Really, in my mind, the best relationship would start with a friendship anyway. Firstly, aren't you worried that he has stronger bonds with the others than you? So make those links stronger! Secondly, while it may sound defeatist at first blush, if it doesn't work out that you have a romantic future, wouldn't you be happier with very good friends, than nothing at all?"

Haruhi thought about that for a long time, taking solace in Rika's advice. The idea of Kyon with Yuki ... or Mikuru ... or even both of them, or.... Still, the thought of Kyon not being 'with' her, while she only had him as a friend? She felt that angry flame of jealousy ignite again. But the idea of Kyon with ... anyone ... and never speaking to her again? Not even being her friend?

"It would be hard to be friends with him, if he didn't ... care for me that way," she said slowly. "But I think you're right. I couldn't stand the thought of ... not even having that."

Rika pulled Haruhi closer in a hug. "Good," she declared. "I know that you, Kyon, and the others have a difficult path ahead of you. It may not be much, but you are always welcome here if you need it, and Suzumiya-chan ... you all have my support, as long as you continue to remember that common bond you share."

"Kyon has no idea how amazing his family actually is," Haruhi managed in response. "But, still ... it's unbelievable to me that he just doesn't see what you and Keiichi have with, um, the other aunts."

Rika shrugged, releasing her and gazing into the shadows again. "I imagine it will come to light, some day," she said. "However, we've been together since before he was born; for him, we're simply very close friends, and there's no reason to look further. I don't personally mind much if he does find out, but ... it would make things needlessly ... complex if his mother were to discover it. And as adorable as she is, really, Nonoko-chan is terrible about keeping secrets."

"That's what else I don't get," Haruhi complained. "How can Keiichi be so cool, and Kyon's mother be such a ... um ... stick-in-the-mud?" Though, the inability of Kyon's sister to keep a secret had been noted.

"That's a whole different story," Rika said, shaking her head. "Not one for tonight."

"Okay, I guess." Though, when she stopped to think about it.... "How is it she doesn't know, either? I guess she and Keiichi must not be that close?"

Rika grimaced, shaking her head. "Another time, Suzumiya-chan," she said, standing and smoothing her dress. "Perhaps if you visit us for Watanagashi with Kyon. Now, we've been away long enough; we should head back. It's not really fair of us to make Satoko-chan and Asahina-chan take care of the children by themselves."

Strange that it wasn't a problem to leave that duty to Kyon, Haruhi thought, as they left the storehouse. While Rika was locking the door again, Haruhi commented, "Kyon didn't tell me what that building was all about, just that it was connected with Oyashiro-sama, somehow."

After a few rounds of cards with her aunt Satoko, during which Shutaro still steadfastly refused to emerge from beneath the table, Mikuru finished making the cookies and announced that they'd been set out to cool. Nonoko could hardly wait; they smelled delicious, and while Kyon was able to cook as well as their mother, he didn't even try to bake.

As Shutaro had mentioned, Rena was the best baker among the aunts, but Rika wasn't too shabby, and Satoko's cookies were absolutely edible. Mostly. She did tend to get some spices mixed up as a result of color-blindness, a quirk which she shared with her brother and her daughter, but that was only occasionally disastrous.

At around the same time Mikuru returned to the living room, her face slightly flushed from the heat of the oven, Rika and Haruhi returned from the shrine. Haruhi looked a little bit stunned, and Rika was just finishing, "...and that's the purpose of the things in that shed."

Were they in the forbidden shed on the shrine grounds? She had a hard time imagining her aunt allowing other people into it for trivial things, and had always wondered what was inside. Matsuri had gotten to see, once, but hadn't told Nonoko about what she'd seen.

"Just fine," Rika said cheerfully. "Kyon told me that Suzumiya-chan here is interested in the local culture, so I was showing her some of the finer ... points."

Satoko raised an eyebrow and studied Rika intently. "You mean ... Kyon," she began, her voice full of meaning, though she didn't explain further. "Just like...."

There it was again! She was being left out! Other girls got to go see what was in the mysterious shed, and now Haruhi and the aunts were in on another secret! It wasn't like.... Well, okay, she had let something slip that she shouldn't have, but she'd only ever promised not to tell Haruhi. It was Matsuri's fault that....

Except, when she made herself think about things, she couldn't really blame her cousin. Matsuri wouldn't have known if she'd been better about keeping the promise. Worse, it was a pinky-swear, the most sacred of all vows! And then she'd carelessly blabbed it to Matsuri....

"Figures what ou-- Waaaah!" Mikuru scrambled away from the table with a shriek, one hand holding the hem of her dress down as she stared at it in wide-eyed horror.

Makoto looked at the tabletop in consternation. A second later, Naota sat up perfectly straight. "It's got me!" he yelled, flailing his arms while he squirmed as though being pulled underneath the table.

"It's not turned on," Nonoko assured the older girl. "Oh, but maybe that would fix things?"

Mikuru covered her mouth with her other hand, edging away from the table. "U...umm...."

"That's enough of that," Satoko warned, lifting the wooden edge of the tabletop and revealing Shutaro and Naota's hiding place. "Come on, get out of there so we can turn it on."

Both boys sulked as they climbed out of the metal supporting frame for the tabletop and skirt.

"A...ah," Mikuru managed, frowning at the boys. "Um. I'm a bit warm, so I think I'll step outside for a bit. The timer in the kitchen should ring when the cookies are cooled enough."

While the aunts were distracted with chastising the boys, Matsuri and Makoto watching them dourly, Nonoko decided to sneak out after the bigger girls. Her own brand of little-sister espionage seemed to be the only way she got information, some days! Well, she admitted to herself as she slipped out the back door and crept to crouch beneath the generator awning, that wasn't completely true. Kyon had told her about his fight against the dark general and his forces....

Mikuru was fanning her face and shooting worried glances at the front door when she stuck her head around the generator to peek. "He didn't do anything perverted, did he?" Haruhi asked. "I thought Shutaro spent the entire time I was here complaining that girls are 'icky'."

"He just grabbed my toe," Mikuru said, shaking her head. "It startled me. Um, but what did we need to talk about?"

Haruhi sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at the sky. "Well, I wanted to discuss this with you in private a bit before we talked to Tsuruya-san. And we need to check with Yuki-chan too, of course.... But it's about Kyon."

Haruhi wasn't looking, but Nonoko caught the shift of expression from surprised, to almost ecstatic, before settling on apprehensive.... What did Mikuru have to be worried about with Kyon? Or ... did her brother have more than just Tsuruya and Haruhi after him? Well, she'd always thought he was cool, so it did make sense.... "Is something wrong? Is he in trouble?"

"No, no.... It's, um.... Mikuru-chan, do you remember how I told you that you should try harder for Kyon because of what you said?"

"Yes," Mikuru answered unhappily. "I'm ... sorry, I haven't really been trying very hard.... I...it's very difficult...."

"Well, I wasn't very supportive of you, really," Haruhi admitted. "Even though I said you should try. So, that's going to change!"

If anything, Mikuru looked more apprehensive. "W...wha.... Oh, I understand." She sighed deeply and bowed her head. "W...well, it's better to have lost the opportunity than never had it, or something like that, right?"

Haruhi whirled on Mikuru suddenly, shooting a heated look at the older girl, who flinched back timidly. Despite the intensity of that gaze, Haruhi was grinning hugely. "Neither of us are trying to make you see what you can have only to fail!" she declared, though with a cautious glance at the door to the house. "That's what has to change! Mikuru, Kyon's not always as perceptive as he sometimes seems. Really, he has a blind spot bigger than the island of Hokkaido!"

"What!? No, no! I.... I think he's quite good at figuring things out!" Mikuru protested. "Um, he understands things that we don't even use words for! Like the principle of classified-- Oh, shoot! But, he knows how to avoid classified-- Ah...." The older girl looked to be on the verge of tears. "I can't say it! I'm sorry, Suzumiya-san, but, please believe me when I say that he's actually quite good at noticing things!"

"Never said he wasn't," Haruhi said, shrugging. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a blind spot. Specifically, Kyon kind of doesn't get romantic issues."

"O...oh," Mikuru breathed her eyes widening. "Well.... That actually does seem to be somewhat true...."

"More than somewhat," Haruhi said. "Anyway! As unfortunate as it is at a glance, this may actually work in our favor!"

"Aha! Well, first of all, does Kyon know that you 'can't' have relationships in this time?" Haruhi asked.

Mikuru recovered some of her previous bearing and gave an uncertain nod. "I mentioned it to him, once...."

"Oh, well, he's dense, so he'll probably forget," Haruhi said with a shrug. "Just flash him that cute smile and giggle -- he'll be all over you."

"Oh, no," Haruhi said, shaking her head quickly. "Not at all! We're just not going to go into it believing you can't make it work!"

"We will find a way," Haruhi said insistently. "Because.... Well, I should have figured this sooner, but we're friends, right?"

"What answer is that!? You shouldn't sound so doubtful! We are friends! I--" Haruhi stopped abruptly, cocking her head to one side. "Mikuru-chan ... could it be that ... you don't actually like me very much?"

"I didn't say that," Mikuru protested, waving her hands before her anxiously. "N...no, no, that's.... I don't...." Steeling herself, with a show of determination that Nonoko personally thought was at least on par with Trope-tan's current ultimate attack, Mikuru forced out the words, "I don't always like ... what you make me do." Very hurriedly, she added, "But I don't dislike you!"

Haruhi's expression soured. "Alright," she grudgingly allowed. "That's fair. But you didn't say you like me, either! So, Kyon said that we were friends, and ... just maybe we're not as good of friends as we should be -- and will need to be. First things first, that means trying for Kyon for real, not just pretending to try because you think it can't happen."

"You can," Haruhi insisted, grabbing Mikuru's hands. "It may be hard, but like I said; Kyon's dense. So there's plenty of time, and no need to rush. The one thing I won't do is let you give up! Unless you can look me in the eye and tell me you don't like Kyon at all! Can you do that?"

A whole gamut of expressions crossed Mikuru's face before she admitted, "No.... I can't do that...."

After completing the ceremony to join the Sonozaki household to the Yamaguchi-gumi, Tsuruya and Kyon bowed to the elder pair and retreated. For his part, even though it had gone smoothly and involved people he knew he was close to ... it was still very strange. During the ride back to the house where Haruhi and Mikuru were waiting, he gave her a brief summary of his vacation when she asked how he'd been. He thought that Haruhi had probably had enough exposure to the children to fill in any details he hadn't remembered.

Naturally, his summary had to be brief, since the ride wasn't very long. Still, he finished with enough time for her to put one shoulder around him companionably, and remark, "Glad you seems to be having fun," before squeezing him in a half-hug.

Which wasn't really a bad feeling at all.... Though, he had the idea he was going to get into trouble with Haruhi for it, somehow.

The car stopped, and Kyon opened the door before Kasai could move to take care of it himself. Standing out before the front door, he spotted Mikuru and Haruhi, evidently finishing up a conversation. Haruhi looked smugly self-assured -- not quite as cutely uncertain as she'd been recently, but more like her normally confident self. Mikuru looked flummoxed, like she wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

Haruhi pushed Mikuru, making the older girl wobble, and gave her a hard stare. "Um!" Mikuru managed, as though the sound was forced out of her. Another firm nudge dislodged, "I made cookies!"

Kyon nodded, frowning as he realized something was interrupting his line of sight to one of the generator's usually blinking lights. "That's great," he said. "There's something important we should discuss, though."

"What's that?" Haruhi and Tsuruya asked in tandem, before exchanging a glance and smirking at one-another.

"Yeah," he said, dropping his voice to barely above a whisper. "Someone's hiding by the generator."

For some reason, both Haruhi and Mikuru began to blush as their eyes widened. "Oh, wow!" Tsuruya said loudly, grabbing Mikuru's arm before she could look toward the generator in alarm. "That is importants! If that secret got out...."

Haruhi, lightning-quick as she always seemed to be, caught on without glancing toward the generator, and nodded. "Who do you think it is?" she whispered, with exaggerated body language suggesting a long explanation. He had to give the girl credit; when she put her mind to it, she was really good at almost anything she cared to do.

"Nagato hasn't done anything, so I doubt it's anyone dangerous; I'm putting money on either my little sister or a cousin," Kyon mumbled, covering his mouth with one hand as he gave Haruhi a thoughtful nod.

Looking determined, Haruhi crossed her arms over her chest and grumbled, "Oh, yeah? Okay. I'll make a dash toward the generator and scare them out, you circle around back. Ready?"

Grumbling about the probability of getting his nice borrowed suit dirty, Kyon managed to break into a full run at the same time as Haruhi, streaking around the far side of the house. He wasn't certain who it was in the dark, but he crossed the back porch just as a tiny figure dashed madly around the corner, mere centimeters from Haruhi's grasp.

He skidded to a halt, sinking to one knee and throwing his arms wide, catching the figure as it slammed into his chest, and Haruhi wheeled her arms, only barely able to keep herself from colliding into the pair of them. "Perfect!" she crowed, as Mikuru and Tsuruya followed around the corner more sedately.

Sighing, he released her when she squirmed free from his grasp, but fell back to one of his favored grabs before she could get away. Seizing the back of her one-piece jumper, he held his flailing sister aloft with one hand. The rear porch light flicked on, and Satoko slid the door open, stepping outside and looking around. "What's all the fuss..." she began, before raising an eyebrow at the scene. "Tsk, shame, Kyon, playing around in that nice suit?"

Almost instantly, a cavalcade of cousins joined in peering around the edge of the door frame. "Ah!" Matsuri protested, giving a sharp look to Tsuruya. "Another one!"

Rika joined Satoko on the rear porch. "Hmm, Nonoko-chan ... were you eavesdropping?" the blue-haired woman asked.

Kyon's sister stopped flailing and tried her best to look cute when he turned her around so she could see their audience. "Maybe?" she giggled.

"Oh, man," Haruhi sighed, shaking her head. "You know, you're cute, and you're Kyon's sister, but there are limits!"

Haruhi's face was a little red as she shot Kyon's sister a look he'd previously thought she used exclusively on him. "I don't know what you heard," she added, "but if you let Kyon hear it...." She leaned so close to the girl their noses were almost touching, grinning hugely. "Penalty!" she shouted suddenly, eliciting a surprised squeak from the girl. "So, you'll behave, right?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Nonoko whimpered, raising one arm and saluting. "I really will be good! I won't say anything!"

Kyon looked at Haruhi askance. "You know she can't keep secrets," he remarked, setting her on the porch, where she scurried to join their cousins. "Anyway, sorry about this."

"Hehe, Imouto-kun is pretty mischievous," Tsuruya agreed with a chuckle, looking at Haruhi and Mikuru thoughtfully. "But, hmm, I wonder what she overheard?"

"I know," Matsuri said irritably. All eyes went to Rika's daughter, and Kyon couldn't help but agree with Tsuruya. What had the girls been talking about that Haruhi and Mikuru both wanted to keep a secret? Still, he didn't think either his sister or Matsuri would keep it for long, in any case. The little girl stalked out onto the porch past her mother and balled her hands into fists, placing them on her hips and glowering at the older girls. "You were talking right by the front windows."

"Oh, you be quiet. So! Chesty," Matsuri grumbled, pointing at Haruhi. "Chesty-er," her finger went to point at Mikuru, who squeaked in alarm. "And, um, Leggy, over there," she pointed at Tsuruya, who chuckled at the nickname. "You had all better take good care of Kyon-nii-san!" Her finger dropped to her side, and with the porch light behind and above her, when the girl bowed her head her face was cast into shadow. "Or Oyashiro-sama will curse you!"

"Matsuri-chan," Rika said in disapproval, crossing her arms and looking down at her daughter. "Don't say such things! Really.... For shame, children these days!"

Mikuru loosed an exaggerated sigh of relief as Matsuri straighted up, looking abashed beneath her mother's gaze.

"But she's right," the woman added with a bright grin and an airy giggle. "Oyashiro-sama really will, if you hurt Kyon~!" Mikuru squeaked in alarm and Kyon became very distracted when she latched onto his arm.

Satoko raised her eyebrows and turned to look at Rika. Then she blinked, seeming to remember something; Kyon was having trouble focusing, what with his arm being pleasantly squished with warm, soft-- "Uh," he said, shaking his head, "somebody said something about cookies?"

"Y...you were kidding about Oyashiro-sama's curse, right?" Haruhi said, laughing nervously, her eyes fixed on Rika.

"Of course I was," Rika giggled. "Really, I'd do it myself; no reason to trouble Oyashiro-sama!"

"Rika!" Satoko protested, shooting the woman a dark look. "Don't say it like you'd be doing it alone!"

"Waaah~!" Mikuru wailed, clinging to him even more tightly. He really should complain, he thought, and Haruhi undoubtedly was going to become really upset if she saw it. "I'll be good!"

"O...oh, um, of course," she sighed, relaxing slightly, but still hanging onto his arm.

Haruhi shifted her shoulders and turned around uncomfortably, freezing when she saw the older girl hanging onto him. "Mikuru-chan!" she protested.

This was going to be the end of his peace, he realized. This was the moment where it all came crashing down....

"Yeah," Shutaro grumbled from the porch, while Mikuru let go of Kyon as though he were on fire and leaped away, covering her mouth in embarrassment as her face turned bright red. The youngest boy drew himself up to his full height and pointed at Kyon with grave ceremony, solemnly pronouncing, "Icky."

"What did I tell you?" Haruhi asked, once they had finished visiting, and Tsuruya's car was heading back to Okinomiya.

"That Mikuru-chan's cookies were good?" Tsuruya suggested, still giggling. "Oh, man, Kyon-kun's cousins, what a riot!" She immediately burst into laughter again. "Haha, it's too much! We have to visits them with Kyon-kun again some day!"

Though she looked much more relaxed, the time traveler was still mystified. "Um, quite a bit?" she posed. "Which part? And, um, should.... I mean, Tsuruya-chan's here, too...."

The heiress arched an eyebrow higher, still giggling. "Is this about the situations with Kyon-kun's uncle and aunts?" she asked shrewdly.

"See!?" Haruhi protested. "He's just oblivious to things like that! Oh, sure, he can spot his sister hiding the shadows in the dead of night, when she sneaked up on me. But that!? He can't figure it out!"

Tsuruya began laughing even harder, clutching her stomach and throwing her head back. "He doesn't know!?" she gasped, between laughs. "I thought.... Haha, I thought he was being polite!"

Mikuru looked even more bewildered. "What is it?" she asked, trying not to pout. "What is this thing that Kyon-kun doesn't know? I want to know, too!"

Tsuruya shrieked helplessly, then clapped her hands over her mouth, reducing the sound to gasping chortles, tears streaming from her eyes.

"What, you didn't-- Oh, that's right," Haruhi realized aloud. "You didn't get to meet Kyon's uncle Keiichi. Um ... you know what, it's cuter that you haven't figured it out. But, Tsuruya-san, you already figured it out? How?"

"That's no fair!" Mikuru protested. Tsuruya laughed at a lot of things, but this would have to be really hilarious for how she was acting. Why was she being left out?

"Kyon-kun," the heiress gasped out, "didn't know thats when we were going to the meetings...." She paused for another bout of intense snickering. "He didn't know we were meetings ... Keiichi-san and Sonozaki Mion-san!"

"What?" Mikuru squeaked out, realizing unhappily that she was whining. "What is it?"

Haruhi started to laugh with Tsuruya, adding, "Anyway! I talked with Kyon's aunt about things, and -- get this -- they're all in on it!"

"No way!" Tsuruya exclaimed, before covering her mouth with one elegant sleeve of her kimono. "That's... This is too much!"

"Yeah," Haruhi giggled. "And she said that, well, we should do the same thing with Kyon!"

"Well ... it really does seem to work, so ... yeah. Don't you think that would be for the best? That it would make everyone happy?"

Mikuru wanted to ask what they were talking about again but without Tsuruya's laughter, the sudden silence was deafening. The heiress gave Haruhi a calculated, considering stare, not looking the slightest bit amused. Not angry, or irate, just completely serious, which in the time traveler's experience was very rare for her friend.

"You're sure about that?" she asked, arching one eyebrow higher and staring at Haruhi, unblinking. "I mean, really, really, mega sure?"

"I'll give you one last chance to say you're not serious," Tsuruya warned, narrowing her eyes and waggling one finger at the brigade chief. "Because I owe Kyon-kun quite a bit, after all the trouble I caused him; I won't tolerate it if you change your mind!"

"I am deadly serious," Haruhi said hotly. "You think I'm going to sit by and see how it can be done by Kyon's family and not take that as a challenge to do it better?!"

Tsuruya took a very deep breath and stared contemplatively at the ceiling of the car. "Well, it really did seem to work for Sonozaki-san," she mused absently. "And those Sonozaki twins were pretty adorable...." A smile blossomed on her face, and she turned, grabbing one of Haruhi's hands in hers.

"You'll see," Haruhi assured her, grinning. "But, until then, I've got something for you! A little parting gift from 'Auntie' Rika."

She broke off with an inadvertent squeal of delight as Haruhi fished a picture out from her pocket and flashed it at her. Mikuru snatched the photo from Haruhi's fingers so quickly that the younger girl flinched backward, surprised. "So, I guess 'delinquent-mode' isn't your thing, but this works for you?"

Swallowing, Mikuru steeled her resolve, dredging up willpower from reserves she didn't know she had to give Haruhi a very level look. Ironically, she felt the hardest part of it was looking away from the picture of Kyon with all his cousins either clinging to him or surrounding him. But, in the picture, he looked so incredibly domestic. He was wearing an apron! It was adorable beyond reason! "I am keeping this picture," she swore solemnly.

After all, it was only fair, right? Haruhi and Tsuruya exchanged a glance before bursting into a renewed bout of laughter, clinging to each other for support.

Keiichi had ended up staying late at the Sonozaki house after Tsuruya and Kyon finished their work. Well, really, once Tsuruya had finished explaining her family's offer, and Kyon stayed out of the way, feeling almost like he was there only for decorative purposes. Keiichi, in comparison, seemed to have a good handle on what his duties were, and how he could actually help his 'boss' with his role. Kyon realized that he was ultimately better off not thinking about it, and focused on the river instead.

A short distance upstream, Shutaro and his older cousins sat in a line, staring intently at their fishing floats. He checked his line and cast, thinking he'd be satisfied if he caught even a fish so small it had to be thrown back. "This is nice," he remarked to the older man.

Keiichi nodded his agreement, flicking his line out and then reclining on the grassy slope leading down the riverbank. "When I was younger, this river wasn't really considered clean," he remarked. "A legacy of the quarry not far from here, I suppose...."

"It was shut down a long time ago. They only finished the cleanup efforts a few years back. Even though there are fish here, again, very few of them are from the original stock." Keiichi looked at him sidelong. "Don't go looking for it," he warned. "There was gas leak, a long time ago.... It's not a good place, and Rika would skin me alive if she thought it was my fault you went there."

"That's fine," Kyon replied, slowly reeling his line in and recasting it. "I can leave well enough alone."

"Sometimes that's a good thing," the man remarked, checking to see that Shutaro was out of earshot. "So, Kyon ... you sure seem to be on good terms with some pretty girls for being single, eh?"

Kyon felt his face heat up slightly and shrugged. "Don't get the wrong idea," he grumbled. "I like girls just fine. That is not the problem."

"Eh? No, no, that's...." Keiichi shook his head and snickered. "I didn't mean that," he said dryly. "But, is there one girl in particular that interests you? I'm not trying to embarrass you or anything, but you're a healthy young man, I expect."

"Well," he mumbled cautiously, "there's.... I mean, I get on well with some of the girls, and sometimes I get along really well with Haruhi.... I mean, if I were to start dating any of them...."

"That's a strong way to put it," Kyon mumbled, shifting his shoulders. "I can't say I dislike any of them. But it's not like I'm romantically pursuing multiple girls. I mean ... that would be wrong. I'm just ... trying to be good friends with them." Though, he was skirting around the issue, he supposed.

"An excellent approach," the older man approved. "Good for you; you're still young, yet. At your age, relationships are important, but also more fragile. Do what you can to strengthen all your friendships, and have faith that things will work out for the best."

Kyon considered that, looking at his uncle out of the corner of his eyes. "Did that work for you?" he asked.

Keiichi grinned, his eyes fixed on his fishing line. "Absolutely," he affirmed. "Trust me on this one; make friends with those girls, first. If it was meant to be, maybe something greater will blossom out of the friendship. And if not, well, you'll have friends you can count on to the end."

"That really doesn't sound bad," Kyon agreed. Admittedly, he was pretty sure some things -- certain photographs of Mikuru and Tsuruya, for example -- crossed the 'friend' line. As well as making out with Nagato, and assuring Haruhi he cared about her. "Er.... What if an impression might exist that there's more than just 'friendship' going on?"

"All things in equal measure," Keiichi said, somewhat absently as a fish tugged at the man's line. "Watch for the quiet ones; don't forget about them, no matter what." His line suddenly snapped, leaving him staring in irritation and short a lure.

That made a lot of sense, too.... "Thanks, Uncle," he said after a moment, when Keiichi growled at the fish that snapped his line. "That's probably the best advice I've gotten in a long time."

"More fun than talking about work," Keiichi said, dryly. "I do my best, but half the time I'm just an elbow-decoration for Mion-chan." He elbowed Kyon in the ribs, grinning as he rummaged through the tackle box for a replacement lure. "You seem to be more on the ball with that stuff, eh?"

He was pondering how to clarify that when there was a tug on his own fishing line. "Ah!" he protested, when his fishing pole began to flex with the fish's resistance. Maybe he shouldn't press further, he realized. 'Friendship' was something he felt he reasonably able to handle. Maybe even something he was good at, if he applied himself.

"I can believe in nakama," Kyon growled, using that word that meant something between 'friend' and 'team', fighting the fish.

Keiichi laughed, "That's the spirit!" and dropped his own fishing rod to help Kyon.

Even though they hadn't caught anything worth keeping, Rika judged that her husband and nephew had a good time fishing. And ultimately, that was the important thing. After that relaxing Friday, his parents arrived, fast as always thanks to the driving skill of Keiichi's brother-in-law.

The car skidded to a halt in the driveway, Yuuto climbing out of the driver's seat and looking very relaxed, Kyon's mother with wobbling knees and shooting her husband a dirty look. Her anger didn't last, and Rika suspected strongly that Shion's theory on the woman's ... uptight attitude might have held some water.

As sad as it was, though, Kyon's mother and father were only by for a single overnight before heading back to Nishinomiya. So, far too soon for her own tastes, she and Kyon's other 'aunts' were clustered around the driveway, pestering him and his sister with parting gifts and farewell hugs. "You'll be coming back up for Watanagashi?" Keiichi asked Kyon's mother.

Rika pursed her lips at that, frowning. It wasn't that frequently that his birthday and the actual date of Watanagashi coincided.... Still, that was a whole different issue.

"I wouldn't mind," Kyon said casually. For all that he'd learned from his aunts over the years, there was one person Kyon either couldn't read well, or just didn't try to. Namely, his own mother. He missed the irritation that crossed her face. "I like the festival."

"Sure thing," Keiichi agreed. "If you'd rather avoid it, Imouto, you know we don't mind having Kyon and Nonoko-chan visit."

"Aw," Rena pouted. "Kyon's growing up so fast~! He'll be seventeen soon, right?"

"We count his age from the beginning of the school year," Kyon's mother said, somewhat stiffly. The other women exchanged knowing glances.

Kyon blinked, turning to look at her curiously. She didn't meet his eyes, and when he turned a questioning gaze on Keiichi, the man winced and gave a minute shake of his head.

"That's when Kyon gets his birthday presents, too," Kyon's sister agreed helpfully.

"Right," Satoko interjected quickly, "we just forgot! Well, since Watanagashi is so trying, there's no need to trouble yourself!"

"Oh, look at the time," Kyon's father said, giving his watch an exaggerated stare. "Ah, well, it was nice visiting, everyone, but I've got to get the family back to Nishinomiya; you know, give the kids a day to get used to being home before sending them back to school!"

"I almost forgot!" Mion protested, reaching into her pocket and handing Kyon an envelope. "Here's your payment for watching over the twins for me, Kyon! And a little bonus for watching over Shion-chan's kids, too."

Shortly, the family was driving away, Kyon's mother already chiding him that he was going to be responsible and deposit his earnings in a savings account. Once they were out of sight, Kyon and his sister waving to the cousins through the rear window, Rika turned to Keiichi and gave him a flat stare.

"I know, I know," Keiichi grumbled, receiving the same look from the other women present. "At some point, we're really going to need to talk to Imouto about that."

"Oh, you think?" Mion asked, somewhat caustically. "There's about a zero percent chance of Kyon being allowed to come up when his birthday falls on Watanagashi...."

"But Rika-chan and Kei-chan are right," Rena agreed with a sigh. "It's probably no good to ignore it forever, either."

"Well, we'll come up with something," Satoko decided, smirking. "Don't we always?"

Kyon: Big Damn Hero

Fanservice Arc IV

Chapter Eighteen: Relationship Building II